Download Issue 3 - July 2004 (pdf 1.4 Mb)

PAGE 2
ISSUE 3
Former Master Mind on 5th Century Athens
The meeting held on Friday 28
th
May had as the main event a talk on Athens in the 5th Century B.C. by John Hart.
For over an hour John gave us a very in depth talk about what was going on in that period (even then you were left feeling that
we had only just scratched the surface). But you would of expected that I suppose from a man who had appeared on
Mastermind in the 70’s.
I particularly liked how John had pointed out instances of their democratic way of life .
Who could vote and why.
The size of their courts and drawing parallels with some of our present day politicians
and the mistakes made and lessons learnt or we would like to think so.
During that time there was much fighting and the strength of the Athenians was in their ships, which were fitted out and paid
for by the very rich. John gave us the idea of Richard Branson being Captain of a nuclear submarine if that was the case today.
Now there’s a thought.
We were also given a very good example of how tactical voting was used to good effect even in those days when banishment
from Athens was part of daily life.
There was a little time left at the end of the presentation for questions but this proved not long enough because of the busy
schedule for that evening.
Our thanks go to John who incidentally has offered to come back for another visit. Great news for those members who were
unable to attend this talk.
Forecast of Events 2004/05
Fri 6 Aug. 2004
at 6.00pm Walk at the Hills/ Greek meal at the Trumpet Inn
( Contact: Nick Kontarines)
Fri 24 Sept 2004
Welcome back/ Quiz Night
Fri 12 Nov 2004
Greece in the 50s (Simon Hornyold)
Fri 19 Dec. 2004
Christmas Dinner
Fri 28 Jan 2005
Greek Yoghurt ( to be confirmed)
Fri 25 Feb 2005
Greek Cooking Competition
Fri 18 March 2005
An Ancient Greek Play
Fri 29 April 2005
Wine Tasting
Fri 20 May 2005
Suggestions, please??????
Fri 24 June 2005
Greek BBQ (Hasapotaverna)
Anglo-Hellenic Club in Worcester
AS those of you who attended the
th
meeting on Friday 28 May will
know we had guests from the
Anglo-Hellenic Club. David Leggott,
chairman-elect of the club spoke
for a few minutes on the similarities
of the 2 clubs. Both share the same
interests, have monthly meetings,
produce
a forecast of events, newsletters
and they also have a web-site.
We were invited to their Summer
Barbeque on 24th July at Bob and
Liz’s home. Address and
directions available from
committee members if you
haven’t been e-mailed them.
PAGE 3
ISSUE 3
Ancient Greek Mythology
The reading of Homer
M
ythology was an integral part of life in ancient times. The
myths of ancient
Greece are the most familiar to us,
for they are deeply entrenched in the
consciousness of Western civilisation.
They are accounts of the lives of the
deities whom the Greeks worshipped
and of the heroes they idolised.
The myths are all things to all pe ople – a ripping good yarn, expressions
of deep psychological insights, words
of spine -tingling poetic beauty and
food for the imagination. They have
inspired great literature, art and music – as well as the odd TV show.
The myths we know are thought to be
a blend of Dorian and Mycenaean mythology. Most accounts derive from
works of the poets Hesiod and Homer,
produced in about 900 BC. The orig inal myths have been chopped and
changed countless times – dramatised, moralised and even adapted for
ancient political propaganda, so n umerous versions exist.
THE TWELVE
DIETIES
The main characters of the myths are
the 12 deities, who lived on Mt Olympus.
The supreme deity was Zeus, who was
also god of the heavens. His job was
to make laws and keep his unruly
fam ily in order by brandishing his
thunderbolt. He was also the posse ssor of an astonishing libido and
vented his lust on just about ever yone he came across, including his
own mother. Mythology is littered
with his offspring.
Zeus was married to his sister Hera,
the protector of women and the family. Hera was able to renew her virgi nity each year by bathing in a
spring. She was the mother of Ares,
Hebe and Hephaestus. Ares, god of
war, was the embodiment of everything warlike. Strong and brave, he
was definitely someone to have on
your side in a fight – but he was also
hot tempered and violent, liking nothing better than a good massacre.
Athenians, who fought only for such
noble ideals as liberty, thought that
Ares must be a Thracian – whom they
regarded as bloodthirsty barbarians.
Hephaestus was worshipped for his
matchless skills as a craftsman.
When Zeus decided to punish man,
he asked Hephaestus to make a
woman. So Hephaestus created Pa ndora from clay and water, and as ev eryone knows, she had a box, from
which sprang all the evils afflicting
humankind.
The next time you have a bowl of
corn flakes, give thanks to Demeter ,
the goddess of earth and fertility.
The English word ‘cereal’, for products
of corn or edible grain, de rives from
the goddess’ Roman name, Ceres.
The Greek word for such products is
demetriaka.
The goddess of love was the beautiful
Aphrodite . Her tour de force was her
magic girdle, which made everyone
fall in love with the wearer. The girdle meant she was constantly pu rsued by both gods and goddesses the gods because they wanted to
make love to her, the goddesses b ecause they wanted to borrow the gi rdle. Zeus became so fed up with her
promiscuity that he married her off to
Hephaestus, the ugliest god.
Athena , the powerful goddess of wi sdom and the guardian of Athens, is
said to have been born (complete
with helmet, armour and spear) from
Zeus’ head, with Hephaes tus acting
as midwife. Unlike Ares, she derived
no pleasure from fighting, preferring
to use her wisdom to settle disputes
peac efully. If need be, however, she
went valiantly into battle.
Poseidon , the brother of Zeus, was
the god of the sea and preferred his
sumptuous palace in the depths of
the Aegean to Mt Olympus. When he
was angry (which was often) he
would use his trident to create ma ssive waves and floods. His moods
could trigger earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. He was always on
the lookout for some real estate on
dry land and challenged Dionysos for
Naxos, Hera for Argos and Athena for
Athens.
Apollo, god of
light, was the son
of Zeus by the
nymph Leto. He
was the sort of
pe rson everybody
wanted around.
The ancient
Greeks assoc iated su nshine
with spir itual and
inte llectual illumin a tion. Apollo
was worshipped
as the god of music and song,
which the a ncients b elieved
were heard only
where there was
light and security.
Apollo’s twin sister, Artemis, seems to
have a been a bit confused by her
portfolio. She was worshipped as the
goddess of childbirth, yet she asked
Zeus to grant her eternal virginity;
she was also the protector of suckling
animals, but loved hunting.
Her mes, messenger of the gods, was
another son of Zeus – this time by
Maia, daughter of Atlas. He was a
colourful character who sm oothtalked his way into the top ranks of
the Greek pantheon. Convicted of
rustling Apollo’s cattle while still in his
cradle, he emerged from the case as
the guardian of all divine property.
Zeus then made Hermes his messenger, and fitted him out with a pair of
winged golden sandals to speed him
on his way. His job included responsi bility for commerce, treaties and the
safety of travellers. He remained the
patron of thieves.
Hermes completes the first XI – the
gods whose position in the pantheon
is agreed by everyone. The final
berth is normally reserved for Hestia,
goddess of the hearth. She was as
pure as the driven snow, a symbol of
security, happiness and hospitality.
She spurned disputes and wars, and
swore to be a virgin forever.
She was a bit too virtuous for some,
who relegated her to the ranks of a
lesser gods and promot ed the funloving Dionysos, god of wine, in her
place. Dionysos was the son of Zeus
by another of the supreme deity’s
da l liances. He had the job of touring
the world with an entourage of fellow
revellers spreading the word about
the vine and wine.
LESSER
GODS
After his brothers Zeus and Poseidon
had taken the heavens and the seas,
Hades was left with the underworld
(the earth was common ground).
This vast and mysterious region was
thought by the Greeks to be as far
beneath the earth as the sky was
above it. The underworld was divided
into three regions: the Elysian Fields
for the virtuous, Tartarus for sinners
and the Asphodel Meadows for those
who fitted neither category. Hades
was also the god of wealth, in the
form of the precious stones and me tals found deep in the earth.
Pan, The son of Hermes, was the god
of the shepherds. Born with horns,
beard, tail and goat legs, his ugliness
so amused the other gods that event ually he fled to Arcadia where he
danced, played his famous pipes and
watched over the pastures, shepherds
and herds.
Other gods included Asclepius, the
god of healing; Eros, the god of love;
Hypnos, the god of sleep; and Selene,
goddess of the moon.